[john_v]

Long live CrackBerry!

Dilly dilly!

[thurask]

And don't get me wrong. I personally don't care much for AC. I like other Android based sites more, but they at least see Android as a whole. They can compare devices of the same eco system and don't just blindly say the newest BB device is the best one...

If they even acknowledge the existence of BB Android in the first place, which is why here is pretty much where all knowledge is condensed. As much as it's a bad thing to have to happen in the first place, I don't see XDA or Reddit picking up the support ball that TCL dropped.

[BergerKing]

When I first became a member here, using the Curve 8330, people were foretelling the death of BlackBerry. With the introduction of every new phone came the headlines, "OMG, it's gonna be a BlackBerry Killer!" When BlackBerry itself gave up hardware, so many cried that CrackBerry was dead. But, to quote Morpheus in The Matrix Reloaded, I know this: We are still here!

GooBerry or Crackley, as long as friends reach out and talk about the devices or the memories, we will continue to be here. December marks my 10th year on CB, and though I've been busy with many life-changing events, I'm still around.

[lord_hibiskus]

Yup more less it is done. Nay sayers drew off bb10 boys from forum, and there are too few new members. Also with bb10 (and legacy of course) we had feeling of creation, development and community, now, new posts are sterile as android can be.
5 years ago I was refreshing cb10 app like crazy, up to the point where my wife goes "oh again your orange friends". Good times!


Posted via CB10

[mrsimon]

there seem to be as many ads as there are BlackBerry official post, which are mostly tips, which aren't really meaty.
The podcasts and CBK are noticeable by their absence.

[Bla1ze]

But you don't need a Guru to tell you how to change a ringtone, how well the camera performs or other stuff like that.

I should send you some of the emails I get then. You'd quickly drop that thinking LOL.

[conite]

Nay sayers drew off bb10 boys from forum,

The fact that BB10 usage has gone from over 10 million to under 1 million has a lot to do with that too.

[kvndoom]

Yup more less it is done. Nay sayers drew off bb10 boys from forum, and there are too few new members. Also with bb10 (and legacy of course) we had feeling of creation, development and community, now, new posts are sterile as android can be.
5 years ago I was refreshing cb10 app like crazy, up to the point where my wife goes "oh again your orange friends". Good times!


Posted via CB10

Yeah okay.

[Rico4you]

Well so great CrackBerry was around when I made transition from Passport to BlackBerry Android! Also today nothing like seeing on CrackBerry site the latest news / updates on BlackBerry software and hardware. This is so important for the new buyers of BlackBerry Android devices. We need CrackBerry and period.

[Jadedx1FastLude]

Personally, I preferred BB7 over BB10. I loved the calendar on BB7, it was so user friendly and intuitive.

My BlackBerry background:
BlackBerry 8100 Pearl - November 2006
BlackBerry 9000 Bold
BlackBerry 9900 Bold (the best out of the bunch)
BlackBerry Classic (the worst out of the bunch)
BlackBerry Priv - September 2016 - present

Reliability was amazing for those first 3 devices!

By the time the BlackBerry Classic reached a year old the camera had ceased to function. Of course, using that BlackBerry diagnostic app that was available never helped. It had no problem opening the camera. If you could get to selfy-mode, the camera would work.

I used the first 3 BlackBerry devices each for over 2 years. BlackBerry Classic I used less than 2 years before upgrading to the Priv.

Also, not directly related, but it was while I was using the Classic that AT&T did what my mother specifically requested them to not do, they messed with my portion of our cell phone bill and removed my BlackBerry data plan. It took several months for me to discover this problem. I kept getting texts saying that I was reaching the data limits for the month. My thoughts, 'That doesn't make any sense, I have an unlimited BlackBerry data plan!'

I will need to look up how long I used all of my devices for and add that information to this post.

[silentbystander]

From a content creation standpoint, I think an argument can be made that Crackberry isn't anywhere close to what it once was. Sure the forums continue to drive traffic, but that was a just a part of the old Crackberry. I remember when Crackberry had access to industry icons from the Blackberry world and were able to create content that couldn't be found elsewhere. I'm not talking about just hardware leaks, I'm talking about actual human relationships that gave us insight into the inner workings of the company. When Kevin announced his return to the site before the release of the Keyone, there was a lot of excitement - as the people who remembered the glory days of this site beyond just the forums were finally going to have a voice that not only listened to the community but was also a sounding board of sorts and had access to the inner sanctum of Waterloo. Tie that to the business relationship where a subset of these forums became the official support conduit for all things Blackberry Mobile, and the table was set for a reciprocal relationship between BBM and CB to provide fresh new content and insight that wouldn't be found elsewhere.

This hopeful scenario never came to fruition, and BBM has been all but invisible on this site, and in these forums, even through a surrogate third party like Kevin.

[johnny_bravo72]

Yup more less it is done. Nay sayers drew off bb10 boys from forum, and there are too few new members. Also with bb10 (and legacy of course) we had feeling of creation, development and community, now, new posts are sterile as android can be.
5 years ago I was refreshing cb10 app like crazy, up to the point where my wife goes "oh again your orange friends". Good times!


Posted via CB10

Haha. You remind me of the "BlackBerry is dead" naysayers... They kept declaring that year after year. 😁

BlackBerry/CrackBerry is here to stay! 😎

[BigBadWulf]

The fact that BB10 usage has gone from over 10 million to under 1 million has a lot to do with that too.

And we're pinning that blame on you

When Kevin announced his return to the site before the release of the Keyone, there was a lot of excitement - as the people who remembered the glory days of this site beyond just the forums were finally going to have a voice that not only listened to the community but was also a sounding board of sorts and had access to the inner sanctum of Waterloo. Tie that to the business relationship where a subset of these forums became the official support conduit for all things Blackberry Mobile, and the table was set for a reciprocal relationship between BBM and CB to provide fresh new content and insight that wouldn't be found elsewhere.

This hopeful scenario never came to fruition, and BBM has been all but invisible on this site, and in these forums, even through a surrogate third party like Kevin.

Chen wrote us directly, officially made us the support forum, allowed employees to openly participate, and through Kevin and Bla1ze's relationship, created exactly such a sounding board. It's one of the reasons CrackBerry is still the place to go for GooBerry knowledge. The input is monitored and commented on, unlike any other forum for Android. BlackBerry Ltd is committed to this community, in extremely open ways.

It's almost like you're reading a different forum.

[silentbystander]

Chen wrote us directly, officially made us the support forum, allowed employees to openly participate, and through Kevin and Bla1ze's relationship, created exactly such a sounding board. It's one of the reasons CrackBerry is still the place to go for GooBerry knowledge. The input is monitored and commented on, unlike any other forum for Android. BlackBerry Ltd is committed to this community, in extremely open ways.

It's almost like you're reading a different forum.

Why the selective quoting, leaving out the part where I explicitly mention that the forums continue to drive traffic, but that the content creation department is on permanent leave? I talk about Blackberry Mobile and the perceived void in community outreach, and you counter with links to Blackberry proper's efforts on the forums. Not sure why you feel the need to be abrasive and tell me I'm the one reading a different forum, when you're selectively rebutting with the unrelated.

[conite]

the table was set for a reciprocal relationship between BBM and CB to provide fresh new content and insight that wouldn't be found elsewhere.

What exactly would you imagine that being?

[johnny_bravo72]

What exactly would you imagine that being?

Ummm... Stickers? 😉

[Digital_Islandboy]

Hi @all!

I just decided to change the title from "CrackBerry is done" to "Is CrackBerry done?", just to make it a more open conversation.

Why do I start this topic?

I browse this site regularly for as long as I switched from Android to OS 10. And I always liked the blog entries about leaked and rumored devices, news about OS 10 and availability of applications for BlackBerry's OS. These were simply BlackBerry committed topics and there has been no better source for that kind of stuff. BlackBerry was something unique out there, just like Apple and stood out against the majority of Android smartphones.

But since the transition to Android, I feel like there are no more leaked pictures of upcoming devices. And news about Android apps or new Android releases aren't really BlackBerry specific and there are most likely better sites for getting news about that topic.

So there's a huge gap that needs to be filled. And to me it feels like that gap is filled with a lot of advertisement. No matter if it's about Amazon, language lessons, VPN services or what do I know... It's not really BlackBerry specific anymore and I just keep asking myself why I browse this webpage at least once a day. There is not relevant information whatsoever left. I could just switch on the TV for a commercial break and get the same from it....

So I really ask myself – why do I browse CrackBerry anymore?

Sony Ericsson and other former Symbian operating system markers went the same way... Once they became Android they just became another "me too device". At that point it just became like : Mike's phone looked like Mary's phone, who looked like Tom's phone, who looked like Sarah's phone. All variety of features and design went out the window. Walk into a cell phone store, all the Android devices look the blinking same...

I walked into a Verizon store and played with one of the new PALM phones (they are Android underneath) and boy are they ***TINY------***. I said to myself I'd lose this thing before I got to the end of the block. It would probably blow out of my pocket

I also played with Verizon's FireFox operating system phone (which was powered by Android too.) Interesting U/I. Might have been cool to see FireFox user interface and QNX team up on a phone.

[Digital_Islandboy]

BlackBerry's actions are basically killing the site by announcing an End of Life cycle. If they left it open ended as officially "We'll review market conditions in future" or even in "in 2019", it might revive some life but hello, they basically said "we're dropping everything in 2019" and that kinda just punctuates everything.

Why bother dreaming if the board is telling you to give up hope and thus are casting their own market to the wind. It is a way to guarantee attrition of existing hardcore fanbase. I know in my case even though I love my BlackBerry Q20 and would love an updated Q20 (with 5G hardware) coming up soon, I'm looking at the calendar date now and already am thinking I have to start weening myself off this Q20 because as much as I love it- more and more over my former Apple iPhone6Plus if I continue to fall more and more in love with it, I'm going to make it even more difficult to get over it in 2019.

[BigBadWulf]

Why the selective quoting, leaving out the part where I explicitly mention that the forums continue to drive traffic, but that the content creation department is on permanent leave? I talk about Blackberry Mobile and the perceived void in community outreach, and you counter with links to Blackberry proper's efforts on the forums. Not sure why you feel the need to be abrasive and tell me I'm the one reading a different forum, when you're selectively rebutting with the unrelated.

You specified Waterloo. BBMo is part of TCL, and while there is a relationship, that story is only about hardware, which is reported on when available, but there isn't a lot to talk about. They do however have an active membership here. Most Blackberry Ltd news is not about phones, so not really CrackBerry's bag, though we do our best to keep fans informed.

If you find pointing out facts abrasive, I can't help that. This site started as a support forum, and that's where it's focus has remained.

[conite]

Why bother dreaming if the board is telling you to give up hope and thus are casting their own market to the wind.

What market?

And please, there is no such thing as a Q20. It's called the Classic.

[conite]

BlackBerry's actions are basically killing the site by announcing an End of Life cycle. If they left it open ended as officially "We'll review market conditions in future" or even in "in 2019", it might revive some life .

You'd rather just wake up one day to discover (perhaps) that your phone no longer works?

[johnny_bravo72]

And please, there is no such thing as a Q20. It's called the Classic.

Kinda confused about this. Even gsmarena states that it's also known as the Q20.

[Rico4you]

Kinda confused about this. Even gsmarena states that it's also known as the Q20.

BlackBerry Shop and retailers, etc.. never sold a device with the name "Q20" it was always Classic.

[mrsimon]

It's good to get feedback. You don't need to counter it. It's just opinions. Just listen.
And now we've got the feedback out the way, let's go now to what you Crackberry moderating team have got in store for the site moving forward.
Podcast schedule? I enjoy those.
Provide more juicy rumour news ? Also good!
...

[johnny_bravo72]

BlackBerry Shop and retailers, etc.. never sold a device with the name "Q20" it was always Classic.

Yup, I'm aware of that. Just wondering where the "Q20" came from.